Three Round of 32 ties on Thursday — Spain, Portugal and Switzerland all look to book their place in the last 16. Full preview and betting tips inside.
The World Cup 2026 knockout stage keeps rolling on Thursday, July 2, with three Round of 32 fixtures on the card — Spain vs Austria, Portugal vs Croatia, and Switzerland vs Algeria. Morocco have already punched their ticket to the last 16 after edging past the Netherlands on penalties, and Algeria fly the flag for Africa again today as they try to follow the Atlas Lions into the next round.
Ghana’s own Round of 32 tie against Colombia is still two days away in Kansas City, and Egypt face Australia on Friday, so for now the spotlight is on three of Europe’s heavyweights and one African underdog with a point to prove. Here’s the full breakdown, with kick-off times in WAT and betting tips for every match.
Spain have been the standout side of the group stage, topping Group H without conceding a single goal in three matches — a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia and a 1-0 win over Uruguay either side of a goalless draw with Cape Verde. Luis de la Fuente’s side look the most complete team left in this half of the draw, built on quick combination play through midfield and full-backs who overload the width.
Austria are back at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 and have been one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament, reaching the knockouts on the back of a 3-1 win over Jordan. But their 3-3 draw with Algeria on the final group matchday exposed real gaps at the back, and Spain’s front three should find space to work with.
Tip: Spain to Win & Under 2.5 Goals — odds around 1.55 on Bet9ja combined. A clean sheet has been Spain’s calling card all tournament, and Austria’s defensive frailties make a low-scoring Spanish win the most likely outcome.
Portugal finished second in Group K, drawing with DR Congo and Colombia either side of a 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan. Cristiano Ronaldo already has two goals at this tournament and remains the focal point of Roberto Martinez’s attack, with Rafael Leao and Pedro Neto giving defenders problems on both flanks.
Croatia have arguably been sharper over their last two matchdays, but they shipped four goals to England in the group stage — a worrying sign against Portugal’s pace on the counter. Luka Modric, now 40, still runs the midfield tempo for Croatia, though he can’t be expected to shoulder the entire load against this level of opposition.
Tip: Portugal to Win — odds around 1.80 on BetKing. Ronaldo to score anytime is the value add here, priced close to 2.10 given his record so far at the finals. For the full picture on Portugal’s run, check the latest news on FIFA.com.
Switzerland topped Group B and arrive in the last 32 unbeaten, with Granit Xhaka marshalling midfield and Murat Yakin’s side well-organised defensively throughout the group phase. They haven’t lost a competitive fixture under Yakin heading into this tie.
Algeria needed a dramatic second-half comeback to draw 3-3 with Austria and scrape through as one of the best third-placed teams, with Riyad Mahrez scoring twice in that game. At 34, Mahrez remains their creative spark, but a 3-0 defeat to Argentina earlier in the group showed how far off the pace Algeria can look against well-organised opposition. For the full squad picture and road to the knockouts, see our Algeria World Cup 2026 guide.
Tip: Switzerland to Win — odds around 1.95 on Bet9ja, 1.92 on SportyBet. We lean Swiss to progress, with Over 2.5 Goals as the value alternative — Algeria’s counter-attacking threat through Mahrez and Amoura makes a clean sheet unlikely either way.
Winners from today’s three ties move straight into the Round of 16, joining Morocco in the next phase. Algeria springing an upset would keep Africa’s remarkable run alive heading into a weekend that also features Ghana against Colombia and Egypt against Australia — genuine reasons for Nigerian fans to stay locked in even without the Super Eagles on this stage.
For live match details and team news throughout the day, check BBC Sport. And if you’d rather back all three of today’s games as a combined slip instead of single bets, see our World Cup 2026 accumulator tips for July 2.
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